Cushions

ABSTRACT

A cushion including a pillow portion ( 2 ) useable for supporting the head of a user of the cushion and an elongate trunk ( 4 ) portion that extends away from the pillow portion ( 2 ) and which is usable for supporting the chin of the user. Wherein the pillow portion ( 2 ) is shaped so that it is useable to extend from at least a position on the back of the neck of a user whose head is being supported by the pillow portion ( 2 ) that is less than three centimeters from the mid-point of the back of the neck to at least a position where it contacts an ear of the user, and wherein in this use of the pillow portion ( 2 ) the trunk portion ( 4 ) extends away from the pillow portion ( 2 ) towards the chin of the user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 35 U.S.C. §371 national phase application ofPCT/GB2012/053062 (WO 2013/084005), filed on Dec. 7, 2012, entitled“Improvements in and Relating to Cushions”, which application claimspriority to United Kingdom Application No. 1208001.6, filed May 4, 2012and United Kingdom Application No. 1121215.6, filed May 4, 2012, each ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The invention relates to cushions, particularly though not exclusivelyto portable travel pillows such as those for supporting the resting headof a traveller sat in a generally upright vehicle seat during a journey.

Cushions for use in supporting the resting head of a seated person areoften referred to as travel pillows, even though they are not limited intheir use by people in the act of travelling. Many differing designs oftravel pillows exist and each aims to comfortably support the user'shead in a position that can be maintained without strain or effort bythe user. This has proven to be a difficult problem to solveeffectively.

Though many cushion designs may provide comfort when ideally positionedabout the person of the user, it is not uncommon that the shaping of thecushion is not conducive to maintaining that ideal position without someeffort by the user. A common problem is the slipping of a cushion fromthe shoulder of a user where, ideally, the cushion should remain if itis to support the resting head of a user effectively. Users typicallyresort to attempting to hold the cushion in place by hand or by urging ashoulder upwardly to sandwich the cushion between head and shoulder.This inevitably brings discomfort.

Other designs may provide means for retaining a cushion in the intendedposition about a user. These can involve structures and shapes added to,or formed by, the cushion which reduce its versatility and/or ease ofcomfortable use. For example, complex and elaborate shapes designed tokeep a cushion in place often limit the range of positions a user canplace the cushion about their person in use.

A further problem for some existing travel cushions used to support thehead is the need either to be tethered around the user, or tied orattached to the back of the chair occupied by the user. Bothrequirements are very inconvenient. Other travel pillows are U-shaped toprevent them slipping away from the user when worn. However, when theuser falls asleep their head will tend to either fall sidewards orforwards.

The U-shaped cushion lacks support to prevent the users head fromfalling forward and resulting in neck strain.

The present invention desirably aims to provide a secure, versatile andcomfortable cushion for supporting the resting head of a user in agenerally upright seat or the like.

At its most general, the present invention provides a cushion forsupporting the head of a person, the cushion including a first portionthat is useable to provide support simultaneously for the back of thehead or neck of the person and the side of the head of the person, and asecond portion that extends from the first portion and which is usableto provide support for the chin of the person.

In a first of its aspects, the invention provides a cushion including: apillow portion useable for supporting the head of a user of the cushion;and an elongate trunk portion that extends away from the pillow portionand which is usable for supporting the chin of the user; wherein thepillow portion is shaped so that it is useable to extend from at least aposition on the back of the neck of a user whose head is being supportedby the pillow portion that is less than three centimeters from themid-point of the back of the neck to at least a position where itcontacts an ear of the user, and wherein in this use of the pillowportion the trunk portion extends away from the pillow portion towardsthe chin of the user.

Thus, the cushion may simultaneously contact and provide support for theback of the neck of the user, a portion of the side of the head of theuser between the back of their neck and their ear, and also for the chinof the user. In this manner, the cushion may securely and comfortablysupport the resting head of the user.

Considered an alternative way, the present invention can be consideredas providing a cushion having a first portion for providing supportsimultaneously for the back of the neck of a user of the cushion and theside of the head of the user, and a second portion that extends from thefirst portion for providing support for the chin of the user.

Considered yet another way, the present invention can be considered asproviding a cushion having a first portion for contacting and providingsupport for the back of the neck of a user of the cushion, a secondportion for contacting and providing support for the side of the head ofthe user, and a third portion for providing support for the chin of theuser.

Where references are made to the cushion being used or usable by a user,these references refer to an averagely sized human person, e.g. with anaveragely proportioned neck and head.

The pillow portion may be shaped so that it is usable to extend from atleast a position on the back of the neck of a user whose head is beingsupported by the pillow portion that is less than three centimeters fromthe mid-point of the back of the neck to at least cover the mid-point ofan ear of the user. Thus, the pillow portion may effectively support theside of the head of the user. The pillow portion may cover the openingof the ear canal of the ear of the user. The pillow portion may cover aportion of the ear extending from the opening of the ear canal to aposition at least three centimeters above the opening of the ear canal.Thus, the pillow portion may cover a large part of the ear. Of course,the pillow portion may extend beyond the ear of the user.

The pillow portion may be shaped so that it is useable to extend from atleast the mid-point of the back of the neck of a user whose head isbeing supported by the pillow portion to at least a position where itcontacts an ear of the user. That is, rather than extending to aposition on the back of the neck of a user whose head is being supportedby the pillow portion that is less than three centimeters from themid-point of the back of the neck, the pillow portion may instead extendto at least the mid-point of the back of the neck. Thus, the back of theneck of the user may be effectively supported by the pillow portion. Ofcourse, the pillow portion may extend across the mid-point of the backof the neck to a position beyond the mid-point of the back of the neck.Thus, the back of the neck of the user may be more effectively supportedby the pillow portion.

Preferably, the trunk portion of the cushion is configured (e.g. sizedand/or shaped) so that it is usable to contact the underside of the chinof a user whose head is being supported by the pillow. Thus, the trunkportion may provide support for the chin of the user from below thechin, in addition to e.g. providing support for the chin of the userfrom the side of the chin. The trunk portion may extend to contact atleast the mid-point of the underside of the chin of the user. Indeed,the trunk portion may extend across the mid-point of the chin. The trunkportion may be configured so that in one use a top part of the trunkportion contacts the region where the top of the neck joins the jaw, andthe underside of the chin is supported by a side portion of the trunk.

The pillow portion may project from the trunk portion transversely tothe elongation of the trunk portion, i.e. the trunk portion may protrudeor stick out from a side or sides of the trunk portion, so that it iswider than a width of the elongate trunk portion.

The pillow portion may project from the trunk portion transversely tothe elongation of the trunk portion from two opposite sides of the trunkportion, i.e. the trunk portion may protrude or stick out from twoopposite sides of the trunk portion, so that the pillow portioneffectively extends transversely across the trunk portion, e.g. in a “T”or “J” shape, when viewed from the appropriate angle.

Preferably, the pillow portion is formed at a first end of the elongatelength of the trunk portion. When this is the case, the trunk portionmay taper towards a second end of the elongate length of the trunkportion, e.g. a width of the trunk portion may reduce progressivelytowards the second end of the elongate trunk portion. Thus, the secondend of the elongate trunk portion, which may be a terminal end of theelongate trunk portion, is a narrow part of the trunk portion and may beof a suitable size to be comfortably positioned against or under thechin of the user, to provide support for the chin of the user.Alternatively, the trunk portion may instead be substantially unexpandedat its second end, so that the width of the trunk portion at its secondend is substantially the same as the width at e.g. the mid-point of thetrunk portion, and the width of the trunk portion may maintain asubstantially uniform value towards the second end thereof.

Preferably, the cushion is substantially symmetrical, so that the pillowportion is usable to support the head of a user from either side of thehead of the user. Thus, the cushion may be used interchangeably tosupport the head of the user from either the left side or the right sideof the head of the user, depending on the user's preference and theenvironment in which the cushion is being used, without requiring anysignificant modification or adjustment. The cushion may be substantiallysymmetrical about a plane bisecting the pillow portion and containingthe trunk portion.

A first side of the pillow portion may provide a surface that is usableto support the head of a user of the cushion, and the trunk portion mayextend away from the pillow portion from a second side of the pillowportion opposite to the first side. The trunk portion extending from thepillow portion from the opposite side to the first side may provideextra support to the first side, so that the user's head can be bettersupported, e.g. some of the force applied to the first side of thepillow portion may be transmitted into the trunk portion.

Preferably, the trunk portion is formed curved or with a bend therein.Put another way, the trunk portion may be formed so that its rest shapeis a curved or bent shape, so that force may be required to deform thetrunk portion into a different shape. Thus, the trunk portion may beable to curve around the side of the user's head, thereby providing amore comfortable and better support for the user's head, withoutrequiring a force to be applied by the user to maintain the curved orbent shape of the trunk portion.

The cushion may have a recess adapted to engage, in use, the shoulder ofa user whose head is being supported by the cushion. The recess may be asuitably shaped cavity, depression or notch. Thus, the cushion may bemore easily positioned on the shoulder of a user and may be moresecurely sited on the shoulder of the user, so that the cushion is lesslikely to move or fall away from the user, e.g. if the user falls asleepor moves. “Engage the shoulder” may mean that the recess issubstantially positioned where the bottom of the neck meets the edge ofthe shoulder, e.g. the cleft of the neck. The recess may also provideadded comfort to the user by helping the pillow to closely abut a sideof the user's neck, thereby providing support for the side of the user'shead, the back of the neck and the chin.

The recess may be defined by a join between the trunk portion and aperiphery of the pillow portion, e.g. the recess may be a corner formedby the meeting of an edge of the trunk portion and an edge of the pillowportion. The join between the trunk portion and the periphery of thepillow portion may make an angle of between 45 and 135 degrees. The joinbetween the trunk portion and the periphery of the pillow portion maymake an angle of approximately 90 degrees. Thus, the recess may beshaped so that it is a close fit to the shoulder of the user, so thatthe cushion is less likely to move or be dislodged from the shoulder.The force of the user's head on the pillow portion may squeeze thecushion against the user's shoulder, whereby the recess positionedaround the shoulder may help to maintain the cushion in place on theshoulder.

The trunk portion may be configured so that it is usable to extendacross the underside of the chin of a user whose head is being supportedby the pillow portion, i.e. the trunk portion may extend from one sideof the chin to a point at or beyond the other side of the chin. Thus,the trunk portion may support the entirety of the underside of the chinof the user.

The pillow portion may be shaped so that it is usable to cover amajority of the back of the neck of a user whose head is being supportedby the pillow portion (e.g. more than 75% of the back of the neck of theuser, or substantially the whole of the back of the neck of the user).The pillow portion may extend substantially across the majority of theback of the neck of the user from substantially a first side of the neckto substantially a second side of the neck, thus providing support forthe majority of the back of the neck of the user. The pillow portion mayextend across substantially the whole of the back of the neck of theuser.

The pillow portion may be shaped so that it is usable to extend fromsubstantially the back of a side of the head of a user whose head isbeing supported by the cushion to substantially the front of the side ofthe head. Thus, the pillow portion may extend along substantially thewhole length of the side of the head of the user and provide support forsubstantially the whole length of the side of the head of the user.

The cushion may include an internal partition part separating an innervolume of the pillow portion from an inner volume of the trunk portion.Thus, the pillow portion and trunk portion may be separate volumes. Theseparation of the pillow portion and trunk portion into separate volumesmay allow for different materials, or different densities of materials,to be used in the pillow portion and the trunk portion, e.g. so thattheir respective properties can be optimised for their intendedpurposes. Where the pillow portion is positioned at an end of the trunkportion, the internal partition may be positioned to separate the end ofthe trunk portion that joins the pillow portion from the pillow portion.

The trunk portion may be formed with a bend in a part of its elongatelength, wherein the degree of bend at said part is greater than anydegree of bend formed elsewhere in the trunk portion. Said part may be abend-part of the elongate trunk. A localised bend in the length of thetrunk portion, as opposed to e.g. a smooth curvature along the entirelength of the trunk portion, may enable the trunk portion to moreclosely match the side of the users head, e.g. to curve around the edgeof a jaw of the user. Some or all parts of the elongate length of thetrunk portion extending to a terminal end of the trunk portion from thebend-part may be substantially linear.

The bend-part may define a bend resulting in an angular deviation of theelongate length of the trunk portion exceeding 90 degrees.Alternatively, the bend-part may define a bend resulting in an angulardeviation of the elongate length of the trunk portion of substantially90 degrees. Alternatively, the bend-part may define a bend resulting inan angular deviation of the elongate length of the trunk portion of lessthan 90 degrees.

The cushion may comprise two or more fastening means that are fastenabletogether to retain the pillow portion in a folded state. Thus, thepillow portion may be secured in a folded state in which the size of thepillow portion is reduced, in order to make transportation of thepillow, e.g. in a person's luggage, easier.

The two or more fastening means may comprise a first foldable tabpossessing first attachment apparatus spaced from and adjacent to asecond foldable tab possessing second attachment apparatus, wherein thepillow portion is foldably deformable to position the first tab tofoldably overlap a surface part of the second tab to bring the first andsecond fastening apparatus into mutual engagement to fasten togetherthereby to retain the pillow portion in the folded state.

Alternatively, the first and second fastening means may comprise firstand second magnets. These magnets may be sewn into opposite sides of thepillow portion, so that the pillow portion can be maintained in a foldedconfiguration by folding the pillow portion so that the magnets comeinto contact and are fastened together. Of course, the fastening meansmay be replaced with other fastening means that would be known to theskilled person, for example a toggle and loop arrangement or a popperarrangement.

The trunk portion may be adjustably deformable by the user to form acurve or bend in the trunk portion, which curve or bend is substantiallymaintained after the deformation, i.e. the trunk portion may be shapedby a user into a curved or bent shape which then becomes the rest shapeof the trunk portion. Thus, the cushion may initially be in a flatstate, e.g. for ease of packing and transportation of the cushion. Theuser may then deform the trunk portion into a shape that is suitable fortheir head size and shape, to provide comfortable support for theirhead.

The cushion may include a slip-resistant material formed at a part ofthe exterior surface thereof, i.e. a material that has a highcoefficient of friction or that provides a good grip on an externalsurface. Thus, the cushion may be less likely to slip or to move whenthe cushion is pressed against a surface by a user, e.g. a headrest of achair.

The trunk portion may also be usable for supporting the back of the neckof the user, i.e. the trunk portion may have a second role/use, as analternative to the first role/use discussed above, in which it is usableto support the back of the neck of the user.

The trunk portion may be configured so that it is also usable to hookaround the back of the neck of the user. Thus, in its alternative secondrole/use the trunk portion may be used to curve around part of all ofthe back of the neck of the user to provide support for the back of theneck of the user.

The pillow portion may be shaped so that it is also usable to extendfrom at least a side of the chin of a user whose head is being supportedby the pillow portion to at least contact an ear of the user. Thus, thepillow portion may have a second role/use, as an alternative to thefirst role/use discussed above, in which it is used to provide supportfor at least a side of the chin of the user and for a region of the sideof the head of the user extending at least up to an ear of the user.

Thus, the cushion may be usable in a second configuration in which thetrunk portion contacts and supports the back of the neck of the user,and in which the pillow portion contacts and supports both a side of thechin of the user and a region of the side of the head of the userextending at least up to an ear of the user.

The cushion may comprise a cushion case stuffed or filled with compliantmaterial. Thus, the cushion may easily be made to have a desired densityand resilience by stuffing it with an appropriate type and amount ofmaterial.

The pillow portion may project (i.e. stick out or protrude) transversely(i.e. sideways) from a side of the trunk portion by a distance of atleast 5 cm. Alternatively, the pillow portion may project transverselyfrom a side of the trunk portion by a distance of at least 10 cm. Thus,the size of the pillow portion may be such that it extends from thetrunk portion sufficiently to support both the side of the head of theuser and the back of the head or neck of the user.

The pillow portion may present a support surface for supporting the headof the user with a surface area of at least 200 square centimeters.Alternatively, the support surface may have a surface area of at least250 square centimeters. Thus, the size of the support surface may besufficient to securely support both the side of the head of a user ofthe cushion and the back of the head or neck of the user.

The support surface may be substantially crescent shaped, e.g. so thatit may curve about the shoulder of a user of the pillow. The pillowportion itself may be crescent shaped (e.g. with curved upper and loweredges).

The pillow portion may have a longest length, i.e. a longest singledimension of the pillow portion, of at least 20 cm. Alternatively, thepillow portion may have a longest length of at least 25 cm Therefore,the length of the pillow portion may be sufficient for the pillowportion to extend from the back of the head or neck of the user acrossthe side of the user's face, so as to provide better support for theuser's head.

The pillow portion may present a support surface for supporting the headof a user that is concavely curved (inwardly curved), i.e. the supportsurface may have a central part that is recessed or depressed relativeto the edges of the support surface. This configuration of the supportsurface may enable the support surface to better fit against and supportthe head of the user, therefore making the cushion more comfortable forthe user, e.g. compared to a support surface that bulges outwards in thecentre.

The trunk portion may have a cross-sectional shape that is substantiallyoval, ovoid or circular towards a terminal end of the trunk portion.Thus, if the terminal end of the trunk portion is hooked under theuser's chin, the cross-sectional shape of the trunk portion may beoptimised to support the user's chin.

The cushion may comprise attachment means for separably attaching thecushion to an article, e.g. a pole, a head-rest of a seat-belt.Attaching the cushion to an article may remove the need for the user tohold or grip the cushion, and therefore may make it less likely that thecushion will move or fall away from the user, e.g. if the user fallsasleep.

The attachment means may comprise a first foldable tab possessing firstfastening apparatus spaced from and adjacent to a second foldable tabpossessing second fastening apparatus wherein the first tab is foldableto overlap a surface part of the second tab to bring the first andsecond fastening apparatus into mutual engagement to fasten togetherthereby to fasten the first and second tabs together to permit thehead-support cushion thereby to attach to an article located in thespace between the tabs. Thus, the cushion may be easily and securelyfastened to an article, e.g. to a support rod or a seatbelt of avehicle. Indeed, the cushion may include a separate cushion supportshaft separably attachable to the head-support cushion via theattachment means.

The trunk portion may have an axial end-to-end length of at least 18 cm.Alternatively, the trunk portion may have an end-to-end length of atleast 25 cm. Thus, the trunk portion may be sufficiently long to extendto at least contact the chin of the user, to provide support for theuser's chin.

The trunk portion and/or the pillow portion may be resilientlycompliant. Thus, the cushion may provide comfortable support for theuser by deforming somewhat to match the shape of the user's head andneck when the user's head or neck applies a force to it.

The pillow portion may be shaped so that, in use, it completely coversthe ear of a user whose head is being supported by the pillow portion.Thus, the pillow portion may support a majority of the side of the headof the user.

The cushion may be a head-support cushion, a head-support pillow or ahead-support travel pillow.

The pillow portion may be defined by a lateral expansion formed at oneend of the trunk portion which projects from the trunk portion so as toextend transversely to opposite sides of the trunk portion to present aterminal surface defining a head support surface adjacent to the trunkportion, and the cushion may be configured so that when the trunkportion is hooked under the chin of a user of the cushion the headsupport surface is positioned diagonally down along the side of the headof the user in a direction adjacent the user's eye and extending downpast the user's ear, and a part of the head support surface is bent tocurve behind the back of the user's head so that it forms a cushion forthe lower back of the users head and neck to rest on

In a second of its aspects, the invention provides a cushion casestructured and arranged to be filled with compliant stuffing material todefine a cushion according to the first aspect of the invention.

In a third of its aspects, the invention provides an inflatable cushioncomprising a cushion case inflatable to define a cushion according tothe first aspect of the invention.

In a fourth of its aspects, the invention may provide a cushioncomprising an elongate trunk portion with a bend therein (e.g. bent orhooked) and a pillow portion defined by a lateral expansion formed atone end of the trunk portion which extends transversely to oppositesides of the elongate trunk portion to present a terminal surfacedefining a head support surface (e.g. panel) adjacent to the trunkportion.

In a fifth of its aspects, the invention may provide a cushion forsupporting the head of a user, comprising: an elongate trunk portionshaped with a bend therein; and a pillow portion defined by a lateralexpansion formed at one end of the trunk portion which projects from thetrunk portion so as to extend transversely to opposite sides of thetrunk portion to present a terminal surface defining a head supportsurface adjacent to the trunk portion, wherein the cushion is configuredso that when the trunk portion is hooked under the chin of a user of thecushion the head support surface is positioned diagonally down along theside of the head of the user in a direction adjacent the user's eye andextending down past the user's ear, and a part of the head supportsurface is bent to curve behind the back of the user's head so that itforms a cushion for the lower back of the users head and neck to reston.

Preferably, in use, this permits the trunk portion to support the chinof the user while the head support surface supports a side of theresting head of the user. The cushion need not be tethered. Placing thecushion between the user and a surface (e.g. a high back chair, a wall,a window etc) to lean against has been found to retain the cushion onposition. The shaping of the cushion has been found to be exceptionallyconducive to retaining its position about the person of the user in suchnatural circumstances.

The trunk portion is preferably resiliently compliant. The pillowportion may project from the trunk portion such that the head supportsurface extends in a direction generally transverse to an elongation ofthe trunk portion. The elongation of the trunk portion may hook in adirection generally transverse to the head support surface thereby toposition a terminal end of the trunk portion adjacent to the headsupport surface. Accordingly, this structuring permits the trunk portionto engage the head or neck of the user while the head support surfacesupports a side of the head of the user, in use.

For example, in the first position the trunk may be positioned tocurl/hook under the users chin. The pillow portion may be positionedabove a shoulder at the side of the head in this case. In a secondexample, the trunk may be positioned to hook/curl around the nape of theneck with the pillow portion at, and somewhat forward of, the shoulderadjacent the jaw and chin of the user. Thus, by curling around the chinor the back of the neck of the user, the trunk may engage with the userto retain its position whilst providing chin support and comfort.

In a sixth aspect, the invention may provide a cushion as describedherein, wherein the trunk portion is adjustably deformable by the userto bend (e.g. become hooked) in shape, and desirably to retain the bentshape. Thus, the cushion may be made and sold with a substantiallystraight trunk portion, which is adjustable to bend (e.g. hooked form)to suit the comfort of the user. A suitable foam or axial/longitudinalwire insert, such as would be apparent to those skilled in the art, maybe employed in the trunk portion which serves to reversibly oradjustably retain a given shape to which the user deforms it in use.

In a seventh aspect, the invention may provide a cushion for supportingthe head of a user, comprising: an elongate trunk portion and a pillowportion defined by a lateral expansion formed at one end of the trunkportion which projects from the trunk portion so as to extendtransversely to opposite sides of the trunk portion to present aterminal surface defining a head support surface adjacent to the trunkportion, wherein the trunk portion is adjustably deformable by the userto bend, and; wherein, the cushion is configured so that when the trunkportion is hooked under the chin of a user of the cushion the headsupport surface is positioned diagonally down along the side of the headof the user in a direction adjacent the user's eye and extending downpast the user's ear, and a part of the head support surface is bent tocurve behind the back of the user's head so that it forms a cushion forthe lower back of the users head and neck to rest on.

The trunk portion may extend from a side of the pillow portion reverseto the side thereof defining said head support surface.

The pillow portion may project from either side of the trunk portionsuch that the head support surface extends transversely across the trunkportion. Thus, the trunk may be formed to fan-out or spread outlaterally at, or adjacent to, one end to provide an expansive headsupport panel on a side of the pillow portion.

In a first use of the pillow portion, with the trunk portion hookedunder the user's chin, the head support surface may be positioneddiagonally down (e.g. in a direction adjacent the user's eye andextending down past the ear) along the side of the head. The complianceand deformability of the pillow portion enables a part of this headsupport surface to be bent to curve behind the back of the user's headso that it:

-   -   (a) forms a cushion for the lower back of the head and neck to        rest on which gives comfort, and    -   (b) when the user leans back against it, the weight of the users        head keeps the pillow and elongate trunk in place thus        preventing the head from falling forward.

In a second use, the trunk portion may hook around the nape of the neck(which the user may keep it in place when leaning back against a supportsurface such as a high backed chair) and the head support surfaceconsequently extends diagonally downwardly adjacent to the user's cheek(e.g. from the eye down to under the side of the chin). Consequently,the side of the head and chin are supported. The cushion is kept inplace by the user leaning back against the trunk portion.

The cushion is preferably substantially symmetrical about a planebisecting the cushion portion and containing the elongated trunkportion.

A width of the trunk portion may be tapered to reduce progressivelytowards the terminal end thereof.

The cushion may define a corner recess adapted to engage, in use, ashoulder of a user, the corner recess being defined by the convergenceto a join between the trunk portion and a periphery of the pillowportion nearest the terminal end of the trunk portion. A peripheral edgeof the pillow portion presented away from the terminal (i.e. free) endof the trunk is preferably arched.

The trunk portion may define/follow a bend (e.g. be hooked) shaped to besubstantially continuously curved along the elongate length of the trunkportion.

The cushion may comprise a cushion case stuffed or filled with compliantmaterial.

In an eighth of its aspects, the invention may provide a cushion for apadded cushion fillable with compliant filler, padding or stuffing todefine a cushion according to the invention in one of the previousaspects.

In a ninth of its aspects, the invention may provide an inflatablecushion comprising a cushion case inflatable to define a cushionaccording to the invention in one of the previous aspect.

The cushion may be a travel pillow.

The cushion, or the cushion case, may comprise a slip-resistant materialat parts of the exterior surface thereof. This permits the exteriorsurface of the cushion to better grip or engage with a support surfaceagainst which the cushion may be urged, rested or wedged by the user inuse—such as against a high-backed chair, a window or wall. Examples ofslip-resistant material include PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), foam, orrubber or other material such as would be apparent and available to theskilled person. The slip-resistant material may be arranged on theexterior surface of the pillow portion. Preferably, the slip-resistantmaterial is arranged at and/or around those parts of the pillow portionreverse to the support panel—e.g. those parts from which the trunkportion extends. In use, it is typically these parts of the cushionwhich are urged against a support surface as a user positions his/herhead against the support panel. By providing slip-resistance at thatsurface of the cushion, it is rendered better able to retain theposition desired by the user. The slip-resistant material may be appliedin liquid to the fabric of the exterior surface of the cushion (or of acushion cover/case worn by the cushion) during manufacture so that itpenetrates the fabric and becomes embedded therein. Subsequentsolidification by curing or hardening results in an external area of thecushion (or the cushion case/cover) having a much higher coefficient offriction than that of the cushion fabric within which it is embedded.The slip-resistant material may be provided on the cushion in the formof an array of a plurality of isolated spots, patches of stripesseparated by regions of the fabric of the exterior surface of thecushion (or cushion case). This means that the fabric of the cushion (orcase) can retain its elasticity between the patches of slip-resistantmaterial to allow the cushion to remain compliant in response topressure from the user's head etc.

Desirably, the invention in any of its aspects as well as supporting theresting head, the cushion may also support the chin when used in a firstway, therefore stopping the head from falling forward. When used in asecond way, it supports the head, back of the neck and chin, asdescribed above.

A very common complaint of travellers is that when they fall asleepupright their head either falls to the side or falls forward. Sleepingfor a prolonged time in this uncomfortable position will cause neckpain.

Desirably, the present invention aims to address this problem. When usedthe first way, the cushion supports the head from falling to the sideand also supports the chin, therefore preventing the head from fallingforward. The cushion may do this in three ways.

-   -   (1) the weight of the user's head against part of the pillow        portion presses it against a support surface such as a high back        chair, wall or window. This keeps the pillow in place and        therefore stops the head falling forwards; and,    -   (2). The parts of the trunk at the pillow portion thicken the        cushion there and may form a spine or ridge at the pillow        portion positionable over/against the shoulder to keep the        pillow portion in place therefore stopping the head from falling        forwards; and,    -   (3) The suitable thickness and width of the trunk portion        providing support under the traveller's chin may fill the gap        under the chin stopping the head from falling forwards.

When the pillow is used the second way, leaning back against the trunkportion around the nape of the neck not only supports the traveller'sneck preventing neck strain but also helps keep the pillow in place.Keeping the pillow portion in place prevents the head from falling tothe side. Feature (2) above in relation to the first way of use appliesequally to the second way of use. The pillow portion now lies on theside of the head, the cheek and partly under the chin. This offers somesupport for the resting chin. If the chin and the head are supported,then the likelihood of the head falling forwards will be reduced.

The cushion may comprise an internal partition part separating an innervolume of the pillow portion from an inner volume of the trunk portion.This has been found to help the cushion retain its shape in use. Forexample, the internal partition may be positioned to separate an end ofthe trunk portion which joins the pillow portion, from the pillowportion it joins. In this way, the partition prevents the contents ofthe trunk portion (e.g. stuffing) from migrating into the pillow portionand vice versa. The cushion has been found to much better retain itsshape and firmness when the partition is so placed. The cushion maycomprise a cushion case stuffed or filled with compliant material andthe internal partition may be attached to the cushion case internally.The partition may be a panel of fabric attached (e.g. sown) to thecushion case internally to close-off the trunk portion from the pillowportion thereby to keep the contents (e.g. stuffing etc) of the twointernal volumes separate.

To better illustrate how the invention could be implemented, therefollows an exemplary but non-limiting embodiment of a travel pillowaccording to the invention described with reference to accompanyingdrawings of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a stuffed cushion according tothe invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of the stuffed cushion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a back view of the stuffed cushion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the stuffed cushion of FIG. 1, theview from the opposite side of the cushion (not shown) corresponds;

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of a first use of the cushion of FIGS. 1to 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of the first use of the cushion of FIG.5;

FIG. 7 illustrates a back view of the first use of the cushion of FIGS.5 and 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates a front view of a second use of the cushion of FIGS.1 to 4;

FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of the second use of the cushion of FIG.8;

FIG. 10 illustrates a back view of the second use of the cushion ofFIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 11 illustrates a front view of an alternative shape of cushion inwhich the pillow portion has a slightly flattened upper peripheral edge;

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a partially dissected cushionaccording to another embodiment of the invention in which there existsan internal partition panel separating the internal volume of thecushion in to two parts;

FIG. 13 shows a top view of the cushion of FIG. 12 with a top partartificially removed to reveal the internal panel and stuffing;

FIG. 14 shows a view of a cushion according to an embodiment of theinvention in which the trunk portion is shorter than in otherembodiments;

FIGS. 15A and 15B show top and side views of a cushion according to afurther embodiment of the invention comprising a straight trunk portionwhich is adjustably deformable by the user to retain a bent shape;

FIGS. 16 to 19 show perspective views of cushions according to furtherembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 20 shows a rear view of a cushion according to a further embodimentof the invention, wherein the cushion has fastening means so that thecushion can be secured in a folded configuration;

FIG. 21 shows a perspective view of the cushion of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 shown a front view of the cushion of FIGS. 20 and 21, whereinthe cushion has been secured in a folded configuration using thefastening means;

FIG. 23 show a front view of a cushion according to a further embodimentof the invention, wherein the cushion has fastening means so that thecushion can be secured in a folded configuration;

FIGS. 24 to 25B show front, side and perspective views of the cushion ofFIG. 23, wherein the cushion has been secured in a folded configurationusing the fastening means;

FIGS. 25C and 25D show perspective views of the cushion of FIGS. 23 to25B being used to support the head of a person;

FIGS. 26A to 26C show side, front and perspective views of a cushionaccording to a further embodiment of the invention, in which the cushionis attached to a support pole using attachment means of the cushion;

FIGS. 27A to 27C show rear views of a cushion according to a furtherembodiment of the invention, in which the cushion has attachment meansfor attaching the cushion to an article;

FIGS. 28A to 28C show side, rear and perspective views of the cushion ofFIGS. 27A to 27B, wherein the cushion is attached to a seatbelt.

In the drawings like articles are assigned like reference symbols.

FIG. 29A shows a front view of a seatbelt sleeve according to a furtherembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 29B and 29C show front views of the seatbelt sleeve of FIG. 29Abeing secured around a seatbelt.

FIG. 30 shows a front view of the seatbelt sleeve of FIGS. 29A to 29Csecured around a seatbelt.

FIG. 31A shows a front view of a trunk sleeve according to a furtherembodiment of the invention, before it has been constructed.

FIG. 31B shows a front view of the trunk sleeve shown in FIG. 31A afterit has been constructed.

FIG. 32 shows a side view of the trunk sleeve shown in FIGS. 31A and 31Bpositioned around the trunk of a cushion according to one of theprevious embodiments.

FIGS. 33A to 33C show front, perspective and side views of a cushionaccording to a further embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 34 shows a perspective view of the cushion shown in FIGS. 33A to33C being used by a child to support their head.

FIGS. 35A and 35B show front views of a cushion according to one of theprevious embodiments including the sleeve trunk shown in FIGS. 29A to32.

FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate, respectively, a perspective, front, back andside view of a travel pillow in the form of a cushion comprising apillow portion (2) defining a head support surface (3) adapted andarranged for supporting a resting head of a user in a generally uprightseat. The cushion possesses an elongated trunk portion (4) defining aresiliently compliant bend which extends from the pillow portion (2) torender the trunk generally hooked in shape at least towards a free endthereof distal from the pillow portion. The pillow portion projects fromthe trunk portion (4) such that the head support surface extends in adirection generally transverse to the elongation of the trunk portion.The elongation of the trunk portion is directed to follow a bend (i.e.to hook) in a direction generally transverse to the direction in whichthe head support surface extends to position a terminal end (6) of thetrunk portion adjacent to the head support surface (3).

The pillow portion (2) is shaped to define a pillow structure comprisingon one side (shown) the head support panel (3) bounded by peripheralpillow edges defining a substantially semi-circular (e.g. “D”-shaped)boundary. The head support panel presents a broad surface which,although not completely flat, displays relatively little curvature otherthan adjacent to the periphery of the pillow structure. The width anddepth of the head support panel exceed the thickness of the pillowstructure of which it forms a part. The arched portion of thesemi-circular pillow periphery is presented at one end of the cushionfurthest from the terminal end (6) of the hooked trunk portion, whilethe substantially straight portion of the semi-circular pillow peripheryis nearest to the terminal end of the hooked trunk. The result is thatthe outwardly-presented edge of the pillow portion has a curvatureenabling the orientation of the pillow portion, and of the hooked trunkextending from it, to be adjusted by a user easily by rotation of thewhole cushion without significant obstruction by that edge. For example,the user may wish to rotate the cushion to achieve a more comfortableposition whilst in an aircraft seat against which a part of the archedperipheral edge of the pillow portion abuts when the cushion is used.The arched nature of the pillow edge enables an adjacent part of theedge to be brought into abutment with the seat, by action of the user'sadjustment of the cushion, without difficulty or obstruction by thepillow portion.

The hooked trunk portion (4) defines a continuously curved cushionelongation extending from, and integrally formed with, a rear side(7—FIG. 3) of the pillow portion reverse to the side defining the headsupport panel (3). The trunk portion is substantially crescent-shaped.The trunk portion emerges from the rear side of the pillow portion as adiametric spine or ridge extending substantially from the mid-region ofthe arched peripheral edge of the pillow portion, along and across therear side of the pillow portion to (and beyond) the substantiallystraight diametrical portion of the semi-circular peripheral edge of thepillow portion.

In this way, the trunk portion (4) presents a ridge or spine whichbisects the rear surface of the pillow portion. This adds strength tothe cushion and renders the relative positioning and orientation of thepillow part and the hooked trunk part more robust and resilient—i.e. farless prone to sagging, deformation or floppiness of the pillow portionrelative to the trunk portion. Furthermore, a corner recess (5A, 5B,FIG. 2) is defined by the junction between the trunk portion and thepillow portion at the straight diametrical portion of the pillow edge.Each such corner recess serves to accommodate the shoulder of a user tohelp mount the cushion to the user more securely adjacent the head.

The spine not only adds strength and robustness to the pillow but thethickness and width of it assist too. When the pillow is used in thefirst way, with the trunk under the chin, the thick spine and trunksupport extends down over the shoulder and wedges in under the chin,resting against the users shoulder and on top of the clavicle keepingthe pillow in place and the head from falling forward. When the pillowis used in the second way, the thickness of the top part of the spineover the shoulder helps provide support for the head when placed on thehead support surface.

The hooked trunk portion extends beyond the rear side of the pillowportion in a continuing arc which directs the trunk portion past thestraight peripheral edge of the head support panel and onwards in adirection transverse to the panel to a terminal end located beyond thehead support panel of the pillow portion. In this sense, the terminalend of the hooked trunk portion is “visible” to the head support panel,being offset from the head support panel such that the trunk portiondoes not extend over it. Collectively, the head support panel and theparts of the trunk portion visible to it, define a structure adapted forreceiving the side of a user's resting head (the head support panel)while concurrently supporting either the underside regions of the head(the hooked trunk portion) either to the front of the head under thechin, or to the rear of the head in the nape of the user's neck.

FIGS. 5 to 7 illustrate the former support position of the cushionlodged over the shoulder (11) of a user in the chair (12) of a vehicle,wherein the head support panel (3) of the cushion portion (2) supports aside of a user's head (9) and the hooked trunk portion (4) hooks underthe head to support the chin (10) of the user concurrently.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this use of the cushion the trunk portion (4)extends across the underside of the chin of the user of the cushion, toa point beyond the mid-point of the chin of the user. Thus, the trunkportion (4) provides support for substantially the whole of theunderside of the chin of the user.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this use of the cushion the pillow portion (2)extends across substantially the whole of the side of the head of theuser of the cushion, i.e. the pillow portion (2) extends fromsubstantially the back of the head of the user to substantially thefront of the head of the user, e.g. to a position just beyond the frontof the face of the user. The ear of the user is completely covered bythe pillow portion (2).

As shown in FIG. 7, in this use of the cushion the trunk portion (4)covers substantially the whole of the back of the neck of the user ofthe cushion, i.e. it extends from a left side of the back of the neckacross and towards a right side of the back of the neck, so that themajority of the back of the neck from the left side to the right side iscovered by the trunk portion (4).

Thus, the cushion simultaneously contacts and provides support for theback of the neck of the user, the side of the head of the user, and theunderside of the chin of the user.

FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate the latter support position of the cushionlodged over the shoulder (11) of a user in the chair (not shown) of avehicle, wherein the head support panel (3) of the cushion portion (2)supports a side of a user's head (9) and the hooked trunk portion (4)hooks under the head to support the nape of the neck (FIG. 10, rear viewof user) of the user concurrently.

As with the previous support position, the cushion simultaneouslycontacts and provides support for the back of the neck of the user, theside of the head of the user, and the underside of the chin of the user.

The cushion comprises a cushion case formed from three pieces of fabricjoined at two seams (8C, 8D FIGS. 1 to 3) which enclose an inner volumeof the case filled with compliant stuffing material. The fabric may beany suitably strong and light fabric for a cushion case as would bereadily available to the skilled person.

The exterior surface of the cushion could be made of fleece, cotton,denim etc. The back of it which will typically be resting against asupport surface (e.g. a high back chair when in use) may have non slipmaterial incorporated which may be important when used whilst inslippery leather chairs.

The compliant stuffing material may be, but is not limited to, any oneor more of: memory foam, buck wheat, micro beads, or any other paddingmaterial. Two of the three pieces of fabric are shaped to be mirrorimages of each other and to provide opposite halves of the trunk portionand rear surface (7) of the pillow portion. They are joined at a singleseam (8D) which runs along the length of the trunk potion bisecting itand the rear pillow surface (7). A third of the three pieces of fabricdefines the head support panel and is joined to the other two pieces offabric at a semicircular seem (8C) which circumscribes the pillowportion along its semi-circular peripheral edge.

Optionally, an internal fabric panel is provided which forms a partitionbetween padding within the pillow portion and padding within the trunkportion. The internal panel may be joined by respective seams (8A, 8B)to the two fabric pieces defining the two halves of the rear pillowsurface (7) symmetrically at opposite respective sides of the seam (8D)joining those two pieces wherein the respective seams extend from thesemi-circular seam at the periphery of the pillow portion to thestraight diametrical seam at the opposite periphery of the pillowportion, without connecting to the head support panel. This partitionsthe end of the trunk portion which joins the pillow portion, from thepillow portion it joins.

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a partially dissected cushionin which a part of the head support panel remains un-fixed to the pillowportion to reveal the internal partition panel (12). Dashed lines (13)identify the edges of the internal panel where it sown to the casing ofthe cushion to close-off the inner volume of the trunk portion from thatof the pillow portion. The extreme peripheral edge of the internal panelis shown un-sown to the cushion casing, for clarity, to reveal some ofthe stuffing (14) held within the trunk portion. Stuffing (15) of thepillow portion is also shown. The internal panel and head support panel,once fully sown, cover and contain the stuffing, and the internal panelfully partitions the trunk stuffing from the pillow stuffing.

FIG. 13 shows a top view of the cushion of FIG. 12 with a top partartificially removed to reveal the internal panel and stuffing.

It has been found that providing the cushion with the panel partitiontend to provide the following advantages.

The fabric panel partition creates two separate chambers—a trunkchamber, including the spine portion of the trunk extending along asurface of the pillow portion, and pillow chamber. When the chamberdefining the spine is stuffed with appropriate padding material itdesirably forms a strong and defined spine which maintains its shape(typically more so than does the cushion without the panel partition).This spine part of the trunk chamber confines the stuffing (micro beads,padding etc) to the trunk, the stuffing cannot disperse into the pillowchamber as would be possible were the partition absent. The absence of apanel may permit stuffing to be displaced after repeated use causingdeformation and sagging.

When the cushion is used with the trunk placed under the user's chin,the arch of the trunk and one side of the pillow portion, slots over thearch of the shoulder and the centre area of the head support panel ofthe pillow portion forms a cushion for the side of the resting head.This is supported by the thick spine, which lies on top of the shoulderand underneath the pillow portion. The internal panel partition helpsthe spine maintain its strength and shape. In contrast, a cushionwithout the panel partition and therefore perhaps, over time, withoutsuch a well-defined spine, may not support the head as well as would thecushion having the partition. In such a case, potentially, the weight ofthe user's head may squash down the whole area putting strain on theneck. The squashiness of the cushion may worsen with repeated use.

The same principle applies when the cushion is used with trunk placedaround the nape of the neck. Here, the arch formed by the trunk and theside of the pillow portion arches over the shoulder, with the pillowportion now diagonally in front of the shoulder. The thick spine lies ontop of the shoulder again giving support to the pillow portion and theresting head.

Thus, provision of the internal panel partition forms two chambers. Aspine chamber and a pillow portion chamber. The spine chamber may bestuffed to capacity so that it forms a thick spine (and trunk) extendingout from the back of the pillow portion. The amount of padding andthickness of the spine does not interfere with the shape of the pillowportion chamber since it is partitioned from the latter. The pillowportion may be stuffed independently and may be filled so that thepillow portion is slightly concaved in shape (a bulging pillow portionmay not be comfortable for the resting head). Conversely, with no panelpartition to enhance the strength and support desirable at the back ofthe pillow, the whole area (back and front of the pillow portion) has tobe filled. This may make the top part of the pillow more conical inshape and the pillow portion area may bulge out. This tends not to be ascomfortable for a resting head.

In order to better be more comfortably accommodated either under thechin of a user or within the nape of the user's neck, the crosssectional profile of the trunk portion where the trunk is separate fromthe pillow portion, is generally oval with the long oval axis generallyparallel to the local radius of curvature of the hook shape of the trunkthere. The result is that the trunk is generally wider in the dimensionadapted to extend under the chin of the user—to provide a supportplatform—than in the dimension adapted to extend down from the chin,where less space is generally available to accommodate it between thechin and the chest of the resting user.

The trunk is also tapered to narrow towards its terminal end.

FIG. 14 shows a view of a cushion according to an embodiment of theinvention in which the trunk portion is shorter than in otherembodiments.

FIGS. 15A and 15B show top and side views of a cushion according to afurther embodiment of the invention comprising a straight trunk portion(16) which is adjustably deformable by the user to retain a bent shape.Thus, the trunk portion may be adjustably bent by the user (e.g. becomehooked), and to retain the bent shape. The cushion may be made and soldwith a substantially straight trunk portion, which is adjustable to bendto suit the comfort of the user. A suitable foam or axial/longitudinalwire insert, such as would be apparent to those skilled in the art, maybe housed in, and extend along, the trunk portion which serves toreversibly or adjustably retain a given shape to which the user deformsit in use. Such an insert may extend from the end of the trunk portionadjacent the pillow portion to the other terminal end (or thereabouts),and may extend along substantially the full length of the trunk portionfrom the one end of the cushion (or thereabouts) to the other.

FIG. 16 illustrates an alternative cushion shape according to apreferred embodiment of the invention. In particular, the cushion (17)according to this embodiment comprises a trunk portion (19) whichextends from the pillow portion (21) of the cushion (17) as a curvedspine portion which executes a relatively sharp bend (23) ofapproximately or substantially 90° at a region of the trunk portion (19)between the pillow portion (21) and a terminal end (25) of the trunkportion (19). This substantially 90° bend (23) is executed over alimited region of the trunk portion (19) and those parts of the trunkportion (19) extending from the 90° bend region, to the terminal end ofthe trunk (25), are substantially straight in shape and form. The pillowportion (21) of the cushion (17) according to this preferred embodimentpresents a generally convex head support surface (27) which generallybulges outwardly as a result of an appropriate amount of stuffing orpadding material located underneath the head support surface (27) withinthe body of the pillow portion (21). The head support surface (27), andthe pillow portion (21) itself, are generally crescent shaped.

A further alternative preferred embodiment of the invention isillustrated in FIG. 17. In this embodiment the trunk portion (29)executes an acute bend (31) in which the two parts of the trunk portion(29) either side of the acute bend (31) subtend between them an acuteangle (less than 90°). This acute angle bend (31) is executed over arelatively short region of the trunk portion (29) such that those partsof the trunk portion (29) extending from the pillow portion (33) towardsthe acute bend region (31) define a gently curving spine portion, andthose parts of the trunk portion (29) extending from the acute bendregion (31) to a terminal end (25) of the trunk portion (29) aregenerally straight, although a gentle curvature may be provided on theoutwardly-presented (i.e. convex) surface portions of the trunk portion(29) in those regions from the acute bend part (31) to the terminal endpart (25) of the trunk portion. Furthermore, the pillow portion (33) inthis further preferred embodiment defines a concave head support surface(35) which presents to the user a recess (37) for receiving andsupporting the user's head.

Those parts of the trunk portion (29) between the acute bend region (31)and the terminal end (25) of the trunk portion (29) extend in agenerally linear direction which, if extended beyond the terminal end(25) of the trunk portion (29), passes over the concavity (37) of thehead support surface (35) of the pillow portion (33) thereby togenerally point towards the head of a user when located in the recess(37) of the head support surface (35) in use. This arrangement serves tomore effectively nuzzle the end of the trunk portion (25) under the chinor around the back of the neck of the user when used.

FIG. 18 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention inwhich the trunk portion (39) extends from the pillow portion (41) as agenerally straight spine portion which executes an obtuse bend (42) fromwhich the trunk portion (39) further extends to a terminal end (25) ofthe trunk portion (39) in a generally linear fashion. In this example,the angle subtended by the portions of the trunk, which meet at theobtuse bend (42), is greater than 90°. Furthermore, the pillow portion(41) in this preferred embodiment generally presents a “V” shape inwhich two lobes (43) of the pillow portion (41), which project laterallyfrom the spine portion of the trunk portion (39), meet at an angle whichis less than 180° such that the lobes (43) of the pillow portion (41)appear to “droop” in a direction towards the obtuse bend (42) in thetrunk portion (39) of the cushion.

In a yet further preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated inFIG. 19, the cushion (45) presents a generally oblong orrectangular-shaped pillow portion (47) from which extends a generallystraight spine portion (49) which presents a bend (51) at its end,wherein the extreme end (53) of the trunk portion (49), following thebend (51), defines a shelf-like terminal surface (55) presenting aterminal surface generally facing in a direction extending towards orover the head support surface (57) of the pillow portion (47).

The embodiments of FIGS. 16 to 19 are examples showing the types ofpillow portions and trunk portions encompassed by the present invention.Of course, different combinations of pillow and trunk portions areencompassed by the present invention than those illustrated in FIGS. 16to 19. For example, the pillow portion of FIG. 16 could be combined withthe trunk portion of FIG. 19. Alternatively the pillow portion of FIG.17 could be combined with the trunk portion of FIG. 18, and so on.

FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 illustrate a yet further preferred embodiment of theinvention which is applicable to any one, some or all of the alternativecushion shapes described herein, in which attachment apparatus (59) arefixed to the extreme ends of the pillow portion (61) of the cushion atopposite sides. In particular, referring to FIG. 20, a Velcro™hook-bearing strap (63) is attached at a terminal end of the pillowportion (61) at one side, and upon a surface part of the pillow portion(61) from which the spine part of the trunk portion (65) of the cushiongenerally extends (i.e. the side reverse to the head support surface ofthe pillow portion). Correspondingly and generally symmetrically placedat the other terminal end of the pillow portion (61) at the oppositeside is a hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip (67) adapted to receive a surfaceof the hook-bearing Velcro™ strip (63) so as to engage with and fastento that strip in a manner as will be readily appreciated by the skilledperson. A hoop (69) is formed at an edge of the pillow portion (61) midway between the terminal ends of the pillow portion (61) on an edge ofthe pillow portion (61) opposite the edge from which the trunk portion(65) extends to form the aforementioned bend. The hoop (69) is providedso that the cushion can be attached to a user's luggage or other articlewhen the cushion is not in use.

As shown in FIG. 21, by folding the extreme opposite ends of the pillowportion (61) towards one another in order to draw the hook-bearingVelcro™ strip (63) towards the loop-bearing surface of the loop-bearingVelcro™ strip (67), and concurrently folding the projecting part of thetrunk portion (65) towards the pillow portion (61), the trunk portion(65) may be embraced by, and enveloped within, the two folded-over sidesof the pillow portion (61) and the arrangement held in place by actionof the hook-bearing and hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip portions (63, 67)fully engaged as shown in FIG. 22. In this way, the cushion may becompressed and rolled-up in order to reduce its size for packing withinluggage of a traveller or user.

A small element (60) may be provided above the Velcro™ strip (63) tohide the Velcro™ strip (63) when it is not in use. This element (60) maybe a loop bearing Velcro™ patch to which the Velcro™ strip (63) isconnectable. Alternatively, it may be a small pouch, recess or openingin which the Velcro™ strip (63) can be stored.

In alternative embodiments, the Velcro™ strips may be replaced withother fastening means, for example by two or more magnets, which may bepositioned in substantially the same positions as the Velcro™ stripsdescribed above or may be positioned in a different arrangement. Ofcourse, other fastening means known to a person skilled in the art couldbe used in place of the Velcro™ strips, for example a toggle and looparrangement, or one or more poppers.

FIGS. 23, 24, 25A and 25B show a further preferred embodiment of theinvention employing the same principle as that shown in the embodimentsof FIGS. 20 to 22. However, in this alternative embodiment of theinvention, the pillow portion (71) presents a head support surface (73)which is generally more triangular in shape (approximately speaking, andin general terms) whereby the edges of the head support surface (73) atthe side of the pillow portion (71) from which the trunk portion (75)extends meet at an apex which points towards the bent, projectingportion of the trunk at an angle less than 180°. Each of these two edgesis substantially straight or gently curved to a small degree along itslength between the apex in question and the outermost extreme end of thepillow portion (71) to which that edge extends. The uppermost edge ofthe pillow portion (71) joining the extreme ends of the pillow portion,at opposite sides, is also only mildly convexly curved or approximatelystraight to a large extent. This means that the two oppositelyprojecting lobes (77) of the pillow portion (71) extend from oppositesides of the trunk taper towards a roughly and approximately triangularpoint at the extreme respective end of the pillow portion (71). In thisway, the pillow portion (71) is approximately triangular at its headsupport surface and tapers towards an approximately triangular apex atthe trunk portion near-most the bend in the trunk.

Consequently, when the two lobes (77) of the pillow portion (71) arefolded towards each other, without a concurrent inward folding of thebent portion of the trunk portion (75), the two pillow portion lobes(77) may be caused to meet as shown in FIG. 24 so as to press respectiveparts of the head support surface in direct contact together and holdthe lobes (77) of the pillow portion (71) in that state using theVelcro™ fasteners (63, 67) described above with reference to FIGS. 20 to22. The Velcro™ fastener arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 23 to 25B issubstantially the same as those shown in FIGS. 20 to 22.

Consequently, with the two lobes (77) of the pillow portion (71) heldtogether as shown in FIGS. 24, 25A and 25B, a new and useable pillowstructure is provided as illustrated in FIGS. 25A and 25B in which thecurved trunk (75) of the pillow continues to serve its original purpose,whereas the back surface of the pillow portion (71), previously notintended to be employed as a head support surface, may now be employedas a head support surface on either side of the closed pillow portionlobes (77). Examples of this new use of the cushion are illustrated inFIGS. 25C and 25D.

FIGS. 26A, 26B and 26C, and FIGS. 27A, 27B and 27C, and FIGS. 28A, 28Band 28C show a further preferred embodiment of the present invention inwhich the cushion (79) includes an attachment apparatus (81) for use inattaching the cushion (79) to an elongate support structure (83) such asa support pole or a seatbelt strap. FIGS. 26A to 26C illustrate use ofthe attachment apparatus (81) in attaching the cushion (79) to a supportpole (83), whereas FIGS. 28A to 28C illustrate use of the attachmentapparatus in attaching the cushion to the strap of a seatbelt in use.

Referring to FIGS. 27A to 27C, the cushion (81) comprises a firstattachment panel (85) being a generally elongate panel attached at oneelongate panel edge to the elongate spine portion of the trunk runningin parallel to the spine at one side of the spine. One surface of thefirst panel has attached to it a strip (87) of hook-bearing Velcro™material which extends along the elongate length of the first panel(85). Similarly, a second panel (89) is provided as an elongatestructure attached to the spine of the cushion (81) in register with thefirst panel at a side of the spine opposite to the side of the spine towhich the first panel (85) is concurrently attached. In addition, astrip (91) of loop-bearing Velcro™ material is attached to one side ofthe second panel (89) so as to be positionable, by appropriatelypositioning the second pane (89), to engage with the hook-bearingVelcro™ strip (87) upon the first panel (85) when the first panel (85)is similarly appropriately positioned concurrently. The second panelportion (89) is adapted to be folded over the centre of the spine alongthose parts of the spine adjacent the elongate edge of the second stripwhich is joined to the spine at its side, and, subsequently, the firstpanel (85) is adapted to be similarly folded over that same portion ofthe spine such that the outwardly-presented loop-bearing Velcro™ strip(87) upon the second panel (85) engaged with the hook-bearing Velcro™strip (91) upon the first panel (89) in order to connect with and attachtogether. In this way, the first (85) and second (89) panels may embraceand envelop an elongate object (83) between them and the portion of thespine they cover when folded over as shown in FIGS. 27B and 27C.

The enveloped and embraced elongate object (83) may be held and grippedin position in this way. In a first example, illustrated in FIGS. 26A,26B and 26C, the elongate object (83) is a flexible pole which may be ofa suitably flexible material to permit the user to flex the pole toadapt, to some extent, the contort of the user's body, without being soflexible as to be easily collapsed. The pole may be substantiallycylindrical in its elongate length. The support pole may be sufficientlylong to extend from the cushion (81) along the torso of the user's bodyand to the legs of the user's body when seated. In this way, the usermay embrace, with his/her arms the mid region of the support pole andembrace the lower terminal end of the support pole between his/herthighs in order to assist in retaining the cushion in place at one sideof the user's head as shown in FIG. 26C.

In an alternative use, the elongate structure (83) embraced by thepanels (85, 89) of the attachment apparatus may be a diagonal strap of aseatbelt of a user seated in a car or other vehicle employing suchdiagonal seatbelt straps which extend across the shoulder of a user,across their torso and down to the hip of the user at the opposite sideof their body as shown schematically in FIG. 28C. Once more, thediagonal strap of the seatbelt is able to retain the cushion at the sideof the user's head in use as shown in FIGS. 28A to 28C.

Alternative attachment means for attaching a cushion according to anyone of the previously described embodiments to an article, such as aseatbelt, is illustrated in FIGS. 29A to 32.

The attachment means includes a panel structure (101) that can be foldedto produce a tubular structure or sleeve for positioning around anarticle, such as a seatbelt. As shown in FIG. 29A, the panel (101) ofthis embodiment has four fastening means (103) positioned towards thecorners of the panel (101). Two of these fastening means are positionedon a first side of the panel (101) and two are positioned on a secondopposite side of the panel (101). The fastening means comprisehook-bearing Velcro™ patches or strips (105) positioned on the firstside of the panel and corresponding hoop-bearing Velcro™ patches orstrips (107) positioned on the second side of the panel.

As shown in FIG. 29B, the panel (101) can be positioned against a firstside of a seatbelt (109). A first part (111) of the panel having thehoop-bearing Velcro™ patches or strips can then be folded over theseatbelt (109) to cover a second side of the seat belt (109). Then, asshown in FIG. 29C, a second part (113) of the panel (101) having thehook-bearing Velcro™ patches or strips (105) can then be folded over theseatbelt (109) to cover the second side of the seatbelt (109) and tooverlap the first part (111) of the panel (101). As shown in FIG. 29B,the hook-bearing Velcro™ patches or strips (105) are positioned so thatwhen the second part (113) of the panel (101) is folded over to overlapthe first part (111) of the panel (101) the hook-bearing Velcro™ patchesor strips (105) overlap and contact the hoop-bearing Velcro™ patches orstrips (107). Thus, the panel is securely fastened in a sleeve/tubeconfiguration around the seatbelt (109), as illustrated in FIG. 29C.

Of course, other arrangements of Velcro™ patches or strips, or otherfastening means such as would be known to a person skilled in the art,could be used to secure the panel (101) around the seatbelt (109) in thesleeve/tube configuration.

As shown in FIG. 29C, the panel (101) has a large hook-bearing Velcro™strip (115) on a surface thereof, such that when the panel (101) isformed as a sleeve/tube around the seatbelt (109) the large hook-bearingVelcro™ strip (115) is visible and presented on an external surface ofthe sleeve. As described later, this large hook-bearing Velcro™ strip(115) is used to secure the cushion to the sleeve. Of course, aplurality of smaller Velcro™ patches, or other fastening means, could beused in place of the large Velcro™ strip (115).

Thus, as shown in FIG. 30, the panel (101) can be formed into a sleevearound the seatbelt (109). The sleeve may be movable along the seatbelt(109) by a user, e.g. by sliding it along the seatbelt (109).Alternatively, the sleeve may tightly grip the seatbelt (109) so that itremains substantially in position on the seatbelt (109)

As shown in FIG. 31A, a second part of the attachment means includes apanel structure (121) that can be folded to produce a removable tubularsleeve that can be positioned around the trunk of a cushion according toany one of the previously described embodiments. As shown in FIG. 31A,the panel (121) has corresponding first (123) and second (125) parts. Alarge hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip (127) is formed on the second part(125) of the panel (121). This hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip is forengaging and fastening to the large hook-bearing Velcro™ strip (115) onthe seatbelt sleeve portion.

The panel (121) is formed into a tubular sleeve (129) by folding thepanel structure so that the first (123) and second (125) parts overlap(with the Velcro™ strip (127) on the outer side) and securing the first(123) and second (125) parts together along the edges (A). For example,the edges (A) can be sewn together. Thus, a sleeve (129) is formed witha hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip on the external surface thereof. Thecompleted sleeve (129) is shown in FIG. 31B.

As shown in FIG. 32, the completed sleeve (129) can be positioned overthe trunk portion (130) of a cushion according to any one of thepreviously described embodiments. This may be achieved by sliding thesleeve (129) along the trunk (130) of the cushion. As shown in FIG. 32,the hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip (127) is positioned on the outside of thesleeve (127), and towards a side of the trunk portion (130), i.e. awayfrom a centre line of the trunk portion (130). The sleeve (127) ispulled up over the trunk portion (130) of the cushion so that it coversthe majority of the back of the spine, coming down under the sides ofthe pillow portion and to the front of the pillow to the area where thetop of the trunk joins the pillow portion.

A second hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip is positioned on a second side ofthe panel 121, directly opposite to and overlapping the hoop-bearingVelcro™ strip 127 (not visible in the Figures). Thus, the sleeve (129)can be turned inside out, so that it is usable on both seatbelts thatextend across the body from the left of the body and on seatbelts thatextend across the body from the right of the body, i.e. the sleeve (129)can be used with seatbelts that fasten either way.

The combination of both parts of the attachment means in use is shown inFIGS. 35A and 35B. As shown in these Figures, the sleeve (129) ispositioned about the trunk portion (130) with the hoop-bearing Velcro™strip visible and positioned to one side of the trunk portion (130). Thepanel (101) is formed into a sleeve about the seatbelt (129) and ispositioned so that the hook-bearing Velcro™ strip (115) on the panel(101) is in contact with and secured to the hoop-bearing Velcro™ strip(127) on the sleeve (129). Thus, the cushion is connected to/secured tothe seatbelt (129) through the sleeve (129) about the trunk portion(130) and the sleeve about the seatbelt (129). As mentioned above, whenit is desired to use the cushion with a seatbelt that fastens in theopposite manner, the sleeve (129) can be turned inside out before beingpositioned on the trunk portion (130).

The advantages of having the Velcro™ panel on the removable sleeve (129)as opposed to on the back of the trunk portion (129) as shown in FIGS.28A, B and C is that the seatbelt rests better along the side of thepillow's spine, there is more flexibility in terms of repositioning thepillow until you get just the right angle, and the sleeve can be removedwhen the pillow is not in use with a seatbelt.

An alternative embodiment of the cushion is shown in FIGS. 33A to 34.This embodiment of the pillow is intended for use particularly as akid's pillow, for use by children, but is not limited to use in thisway. As shown in FIG. 33A, the cushion (141) of this embodiment has adifferent shape pillow portion (143) to some of the previously describedembodiments. In particular, the pillow portion (143) is approximatelyU-shaped when viewed from the front, with extended ear portions (145)that extend from the pillow portion (143) towards a terminal end of thetrunk portion (147).

Thus, the pillow portion (143) may be larger than the pillow portions ofsome of the previous embodiments, to provide a large pillow portion(143) for a child to rest their head on. The extended ear portions (145)are useable to cover more area at the back of the head or neck of theuser and the trunk portion (147) is configured so that it is usable tocurl further around a child's neck or chin.

As shown in FIGS. 336 and 33C, the centre part of the pillow portion(143) forms a distinct arch shape (149) above the trunk portion (147).This arch shape (149) allows the cushion to ‘hook’ more around the neckof a child in use, which will help keep it more in place.

As shown in FIG. 34, when the pillow sides (145) are folded together toform an alternative shaped pillow portion for a child to use, anotherarch is formed in the middle so that it will slot in comfortably aroundthe child's neck.

When the cushion is used so that the trunk portion (147) is placed underthe chin, children find it tricky to keep the pillow in place. Thus, thepillow of this embodiment is preferably used with the seatbeltattachment means described above, so that the cushion can be secured inplace relative to the user and form an effective cushion for the user'shead.

It is to be understood that the embodiment described above is intendedto provide one an illustrative but non-limiting example of animplementation of the invention, and that modifications, variations andequivalents to elements of the above, such as would be readily apparentto the skilled user, are encompassed within the scope of the inventione.g. as defined by the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A cushion comprising: a pillow portionhaving a front side and an oppositely-directed rear side, said pillowportion having a support surface on said front side that is adapted tosupport a head of a user; and an elongate trunk portion emerging andextending away from said rear side of said pillow portion, said elongatetrunk portion having a terminal end that is distal to said pillowportion, said elongate trunk portion having a region that is proximal tosaid pillow portion, said elongate trunk portion having a rest shapethat has a frontwardly hooked configuration such that said terminal endis located frontwardly of said region, wherein said pillow portionprojects from said elongate trunk portion transversely to an elongationof said elongate trunk portion.
 2. The cushion of claim 1, wherein saidelongate trunk portion is adapted to contact an underside of a chin of auser whose head is being supported by said pillow portion.
 3. Thecushion of claim 1, wherein said pillow portion projects from saidelongate trunk portion transversely to an elongation of said elongatetrunk portion from two opposite sides of said elongate trunk portion. 4.The cushion of claim 1, wherein said pillow portion has a concave shape.5. The cushion of claim 1, further comprising: a recess adapted toengage a shoulder of a user whose head is being supported by said pillowportion.
 6. The cushion of claim 5, wherein said recess is defined by ajoint between said elongate trunk portion and a periphery of said pillowportion.
 7. The cushion of claim 1, wherein said elongate trunk portiontapers towards said terminal end.
 8. The cushion of claim 1, wherein thecushion is substantially symmetrical so that said pillow portion isadapted to support the head of a user from either side of the head ofthe user.
 9. The cushion of claim 8, wherein the cushion issubstantially symmetrical about a plane bisecting said pillow portionand containing said elongate trunk portion.
 10. The cushion of claim 1,wherein said elongate trunk portion emerges from said rear side of saidpillow portion as a spine extending across said rear side of said pillowportion.
 11. The cushion of claim 1, wherein said elongate trunk portiondefines a resiliently compliant bend.
 12. The cushion of claim 1,wherein said elongate trunk portion is adapted to extend across anunderside of a chin of the user whose head is being supported by saidpillow portion.
 13. The cushion of claim 1, further comprising: aninternal partition part separating an inner volume of said pillowportion from an inner volume of said elongate trunk portion.
 14. Thecushion of claim 1, wherein said elongate trunk portion is formed with abend in a part of an elongate length thereof, wherein a degree of thebend at said part is greater than any degree of the bend formedelsewhere in said elongate trunk portion.
 15. The cushion of claim 1,further comprising: two or more fasteners that are fastenable togetherto retain said pillow portion in a folded state.
 16. The cushion ofclaim 1, wherein said elongate trunk portion is adjustably deformable bythe user to form a curve or bend in said elongate trunk portion in whichthe curve or bend is substantially maintained after the deformation. 17.The cushion of claim 1, further comprising: a slip-resistant materialformed at a part of an exterior surface thereof.
 18. The cushion ofclaim 1, wherein said pillow portion is defined by a lateral expansionformed at one end of said elongate trunk portion which projects fromsaid elongate trunk portion so as to extend transversely to oppositesides of said elongate trunk portion to present a terminal surfacedefining said support surface adjacent to said elongate trunk portion.19. The cushion of claim 18, wherein said pillow portion projects fromsaid elongate trunk portion such that said support surface extends in adirection generally transverse to an elongation of said elongate trunkportion and the elongation of the elongate trunk portion bends in adirection generally transverse to said support surface thereby toposition said terminal end of said elongate trunk portion adjacent tosaid support surface.
 20. The cushion of claim 1, wherein said elongatetrunk portion defines a bend which is substantially continuously curvedalong an elongate length of said elongate trunk portion.
 21. The cushionof claim 1, further comprising: a cushion case stuffed or filled with acompliant material.
 22. An inflatable cushion comprising a cushion casewhich is inflatable to define a cushion according to claim
 1. 23. Thecushion of claim 1, wherein said pillow portion is wider than saidelongate trunk portion.